Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa( tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam Bindu Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

Issue No. 335 Śrī Pāśāṅkuśā Ekādaśī 5 October 2014 Circulation 7,360

• Books for Children His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada • Draupadi’s Chastity Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

Highlights • The First Attraction — Part 1 From Srila Jiva Goswami’s Gopāla-pūrva-campūḥ, pūraṇa 15

Books for Children His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Yes, to make a Krishna conscious coloring book for children is a very good idea for serving and for spreading Krishna consciousness to the young children. Please do it. I will give you hints how to do it; just let me know when you are ready to begin. It will be a great service. (Letter to Malati Dasi, 28 May 1968.) If you want to write books for children, story books about Krishna’s pastimes, I shall give you nice hints and Hamsaduta and Himavati can help you with nice pictures. I shall give you some facts about Lord Jagannath also. I am very glad to learn the practical result of deity worship in your behavior. I am so glad to learn that you are developing a bit of affection for Jagannath by personally taking care of him. That is the way of increasing our love of Godhead. Deity worship is the practical demonstration, and hearing from the spiritual master is the nourishment of the idea. Krishna consciousness is so nice that anyone His Divine Grace who has a little taste of it must feel a distinction between A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada his past and present life. It is not only the case with you and devotional practice, your pictures will become all but it is the case for everyone who has the fortunate attractive because of the bona fide transcendental subject opportunity for coming into contact with Krishna. (Letter matter. (Letter to Ekayani Dasi, 15 March 1970.) to Satyabhama Dasi. 27 December 1968.) Draupadi’s Chastity Yes, you can make nice children’s books, and in this connection you may correspond with Satyabhama who is Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja already working on a condensed version of Krishna book. There is a story in the Mahābhārata — there were five You should continue your painting, and then, with love brothers, Yudhisthir, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakul, and Sahadev. next column   Issue Three Hundred Thirty Five, Page — 2 é[q k* ZVrindavan. 30 There are these two considerations, tattva-vicāra October 1990. and apara-vicāra, the absolute consideration and the The First Attraction – Part 1 apparent consideration. All our discussions should be based on tattva-vicāra, the absolute consideration, and From Srila Jiva Goswami’s Gopāla-pūrva-campu, pūraṇa 15 not on the apparent consideration. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.24), na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś The Gopāla-campūḥ describes events that took place in cyavanti te — “Those who do not understand the the eternal Goloka Vrindavan immediately after Lord Krishna left this planet and went back there. The book describes all tattva-vicāra fall down.” This is a question of tattva. the pastimes that took place on earth in the form of a re- You may say, “No, Draupadi is not at all a chaste narration from the perspective of two celestial singers in lady. She is an unchaste lady.” This is an apparent Goloka, Madhukantha and Snigdhakantha, who sing these consideration. How can a lady having five husbands be pastimes for the pleasure of Nanda Maharaja, Krishna, and chaste? However, Draupadi is not at all unchaste. No. other associates in Goloka. In the daytime they describe these Draupadi is a chaste lady, sati. How is it? How could she pastimes in the general assembly of Nanda Maharaja, and keep up her chastity being the wife of five husbands? at night they describe them in a private and secret assembly Draupadi had that potency. There was a condition consisting of the gopīs along with Krishna and a few selected at Draupadi’s svayaṁvara, ceremony for selection of associates. The descriptions given in front of Nanda Maharaja her groom. Arjun shot an arrow that hit the eye of a and the other gopas in the day are of a more general nature, fish revolving at the end of a pillar by only seeing the whereas the descriptions in the night time assembly are of a more intimate nature. Each chapter in this composition is reflection of the fish in a water pot below. Nobody else called a pūraṇa (not purāṇa). pūrayati iti pūraṇa — That could do it, so Arjuna won Draupadi. Neither Yudhisthir, which completes is known as pūraṇa. Thus, each pūraṇa Bhima, Nakula nor Sahadev got her. Arjuna did. So makes the devotee’s realizations more complete. according to the law, Draupadi should be the wife of In pūraṇa 15, Srila Jiva Goswami describes the events that Arjuna. But when they came to mother Kunti, they took place on earth after the killing of Dhenukasura. Srila said, “Mother Kunti, we have got a very nice gift today.” Jiva Goswami has named this chapter, “Pūrvānurāgaḥ”. The mother said, “All right, whatever you have got, This technical term as it relates to divine love is defined in you share it equally among all five brothers.” the Rasārṇava-sudhākara: They got Draupadi, so carrying out the order of their yat prema saṅgamāt pūrvaṁ darśana- mother, they should equally share. Thus Draupadi śravaṇādibhiḥ pūrvānurāgaḥ sa jñeyaḥ — “The became the wife of five husbands, but since she had feelings of love experienced before the first meeting are known as pūrvānurāga. These feelings are experienced extraordinary potency she did not become unchaste. by seeing the beloved from a distance, hearing about him They had a condition that Draupadi should spend or her, etc.” (Rasārṇava-sudhākara 2.174 – 175) one month with one husband. The first month she Pūrvānurāga is a stage where the lover and the beloved , would spend with Yudhisthir the next month with have not met, yet they secretly develop a liking for each other. Bhima, then Arjuna, then Nakula, and then Sahadev. Since the lover and the beloved are separated from each In this way she divided her time. During that period other at this stage, it is technically a stage of vipralambha no other brother will enter into that apartment. (separation). There are many varieties of pūrvānurāga and If someone breaks the condition he will be banished to various transitory emotions that accompany it.   Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Three Hundred Thirty Five, Page — 3 Top left 3 top right 3 external circumstances), vismaya (amazement), garva (pride), lajjā (bashfulness), apatrapā (boldness devoid of shame), bhaya (fear), ādara (respect), harṣa (great joy), and icchā (desire to meet), and the deluge of all these simultaneous emotions caused them to become stabdha (motionless) and amazed, as if they were some sort of colorful paintings. [Translator’s Note: The motionlessness was caused by the simultaneous manifestation of all various types of opposing emotions. Now Srila Jiva Goswami singles out a special one among the gopīs and describes her feelings.] akasmād āyāntaṁ harim anubhavantī kila hriyā daśām akṣṇor nānā-drutam apidadhe sā nata-mukhī mudā smerā bhugnā vikasitavatī kuñcitavatī sa-bāṣpā stabdhābhābhavad iti samaṁ yā na ghaṭate Hearing of the unexpected arrival of Hari, her face was turned down in a bashful mood. She quickly tried to hide all the various restless movements of her eyes. Sometimes she would smile out of joy and sometimes her face would have a furrowed look. Sometimes she would swell with happiness and sometimes she Unknown artist Srila Jiva Goswami’s narration now begins: would shrink out of bashfulness. Sometimes she would On another evening, the prince of Goloka, Krishna, experience an overflow of tears and sometimes she would simply remain motionless. Indeed, no one could had his evening meal in the association of his friends. match her in terms of the flow of emotions. Taking permission from mother Yashoda, he then went to the splendid assembly of Nanda Maharaja, [Translator’s Note: It is thus indirectly suggested just as he would do each night. There he spent almost that this gopī is Srimati Radharani, for only she can be three hours, and then he took permission from the the one whom no one else can match. The meter for seniors present in that assembly to leave. Krishna this verse is śikhariṇī — as used in the Jagannathāṣṭakam] sent away most of his friends to their respective The host of the gopī maidservants, who were homes, and then he went back to his wonderful home. decorated with simple qualities, spread a thick deer- Taking permission once again from his mother, skin mattress on the floor of the vast courtyard he took with him his internal friends like Subal, bedecked with pearl necklaces. On the western side Madhumangal and the two singers Madhukantha of the covered courtyard, Krishna now sat on a and Snigdhakantha, to the supremely pleasurable comfortable quilt while facing east. The maid-servants mansion of Sri Radha which is within the huge lotus- started serving him using objects such as brilliant like Gokula (in the spiritual world). white cāmara fans. In this situation, Krishna appeared [Translator’s Note: Gokula in the eternal spiritual to be the life force of Radha outside her body. world is shaped like a thousand-petalled lotus flower. [Translator’s Note: She had a life force within her This is described in Brahma-saṁhitā 5.2 — sahasra- body, and Krishna appeared to be like a second life force patra-kamalaṁ gokulākhyaṁ mahat padam. From this outside her body. And here we find more evidence of description it seems that Srimati Radharani’s mansion the opulence of Radha’s mansion in the spiritual world.] in the eternal spiritual world is extremely opulent]. Among all the hosts of doe-eyed gopīs who were Due to the unexpected arrival of Krishna, the drowning in the nectarean triveṇī of (1) Radha’s joy, gopīs, who were smiling and joking with each (2) Krishna’s joy, and (3) their own joy — Krishna other, simultaneously exhibited the symptoms of caught Radha by his hands and seated her in front sambhrama (perturbation), bhrama (forgetfulness of of all of them on his left side.   é[q k* Z

rāga (melody) and tāla (beat) of the songs. Unknown artist divine couple's emotions. Radha and Krishna were In this beautiful evening scene, the gopīs and like two wonderful gems mounted in the middle of gopas appeared like two strands of a pearl necklace. that necklace. The two singers were seated at one end and on the Although both Radha and Krishna were happily other end were the effulgent divine couple whose looking everywhere, the two brothers beheld their effulgences were reflecting on each other. The exchange of loving side-long glances. Seeing this brothers experienced the difference between the exchange of loving glances, the two brothers became bluish hue of Krishna and the golden hue of Radha stunned in ecstasy for several minutes. and simultaneously experienced the oneness of the Then, being ordered by the smiling new-dark-cloud  (Krishna), both brothers regained their alertness and happily folded their hands to perform the nāndī. Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu A free bi-monthly service provided by: [Translator’s Note: Nāndī is the auspicious Gopal Jiu Publications invocatory verses spoken in the beginning of a c/o Sri Krishna Balarama Mandir drama or narration by the singers. Srila Rupa National Highway No. 5, IRC Village Goswami describes in his Nāṭaka-candrikā (verse 14), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, 751015 prastāvanāyās tu mukhe nāndī kāryā śubhāvahā — “In the beginning of a dramatic performance, one should Phone: (0674) 2553250, 2557026 perform the nāndī for invoking auspiciousness.”] Email: [email protected] Website: www.gopaljiu.org [To be continued….] Subscriptions: [email protected] — Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the Gopāla-pūrva- campūḥ. Published by Sri Nityasvarup Brahmachari. 1912 A.D. Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the International Soci- ety for Krishna Consciousness, Founder-Acharya: His Divine — Sanskrit for Rasārṇava-sudhākara and Nāṭaka-candrikā taken from the Gaudiya Grantha Mandira (http://www. Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. granthamandira.com) Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. All other materials, unless specified, © ISKCON Bhubaneswar/Gopal Jiu Publications. All rights reserved. Blanket permission is given to redistribute Bindu in electronic or print form provided no changes are made to the contents.